Top 10 (or top whatever) lists are ubiquitous at the end of every year. Top ten movies, top ten books, top ten wines… you get the point. We are posting OUR top ten list a couple of weeks early. Everyone is posting about the holidays; we want to be ahead of the curve. Wine memes have been the most popular posts on our Facebook page so we have compiled a list of the Top 10 Wine Memes of 2013 according to our Facebook fans! If your favorite didn’t make the list, feel free to share it with us! We are always on the look out for more.
Number 10:
Number 9:
Number 8:
Number 7:
Number 6:
Number 5:
Number 4:
Number 3:
Number 2:
And the Number 1 wine meme of 2013 according to Harvest Ridge Winery Facebook fans, with 219 “likes” and 139 “shares” was the WINE ADVENT CALENDAR!!!
In October, our manager, Chip, and our winemaker, Milan, joined Lorraine Dion (from Kent County Tourism) on Delaware 105.9’s Sip and Bite show to discuss the Delaware Wine and Beer festival and the latest happenings at Harvest Ridge. Susan Monday gave us the opportunity to talk about the wines we are making and what you can expect to see as we begin to release our wine. It is a great chance to learn more about what we do! the sound clips below are in order from top to bottom. Take a listen….
Are you all ready??? We are! After years of planning, months of construction, weeks and days of anticipation, the day has arrived! As of Friday, November 1, we will be open for business. Come see us for a tour of the place and (of course) to taste our wines!
We will be open daily 12PM-5PM.
Tastings will be $5 and will allow you to taste all 5 of our currently bottled wines and you will get to keep the logo glass in which they are served.
Questions? Call us at 302.343.9437 or email us at tastingroom@harvestridgewinery.com
Harvest is a beautiful (and busy!) time at a winery. We were fortunate to have WBOC come out and spend time with us during one of our busy days. They were able to see several aspects of the harvest and pressing process. We were the lead off story at their 4PM airing on Tuesday, September 24. Watch it here if you missed it!
If you live in our area, you might catch us on the commercial promoting the Delaware Wine and Beer Fest! (Some of the pictures were taken in our vineyards and the very first shot is of our very own manager, Chip Nunan. His .5 seconds of fame!)
Two recent noteworthy items that affect wine, beer, and spirits producers in Delaware–
1) The Delaware Wineries Association made an appearance at the Delaware State fair in July. Several members of the association (including Harvest Ridge Winery owner Chuck, and manager Chip) were on hand to meet and greet Delaware residents at the fair. It was a great chance to let people know what is going on with wines, spirits, etc. in our state! Governor Markell was also on hand and stopped by the DWA booth. You can read more about the day here and Governor Markell’s visit here: http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20130726/NEWS/307260033/Delaware-State-Fair-neutral-territory-Gov-Markell
We are making some noise here at Harvest Ridge Winery! As part of the Delaware Wine and Beer Festival, we have been asked to host the Inaugural Wine Dinner the night prior to the festival! We consider it sort of our “coming out party.” It will be a small, intimate event. Only 150 tickets are being sold. Those that attend will enjoy:
– A guided tour of the winery’s new production facility – A commemorative wine glass – The opportunity to meet the new Harvest Ridge Winemaker – A five course gourmet meal, prepared by the chefs at Abbott’s Grill – Five Harvest Ridge wine pairings with each course – selected by the winemaker
Individual tickets are $75, and there are several package options including hotel stay and tickets to the Delaware Wine and Beer Festival the next day. If you have a large group, consider buying a table for the dinner for significant savings!
This will be an exciting event and we are thrilled to show off the winery to the dinner attendees! Consider joining us for that very special evening. To purchase tickets online, click HERE .
In 2012, there were almost 9000 wineries in the United States– and that number is growing quickly! A trip to a local winery is a wonderful way to connect with a local business. Many wineries are small, family-owned operations that love to interact with visitors that come to see them, tour the property, and taste their wines. (This is most definitely true for us at Harvest Ridge!) Often times wineries are near enough to each other that a visit to a couple in a day is very doable. Pack a picnic lunch and make a day of it!
Want to visit a winery in your area but not sure where to look? There are several sites that can point you in the right direction. Take a look, find one that looks interesting, and stop in for a visit!
We are working on a game plan to produce the BEST wine we can possibly make for our consumers; something that we can be proud of and excited about. (Yes, I know, I know — never end a sentence with a preposition. “Something of which we can be proud and something about which we can be excited.” Better?)
Harvest Ridge Winery’s winemaker, Milan has a plan. Under his guidance, we plan to focus primarily on single variety wines to start. By doing this we can learn what grapes grow well where we are, in our soil, in our “terroir.” Which grapes will thrive (and which ones not-so-much). Once we do that, we can have a better idea going forward about what blends we can make and which wines might eventually become our signature wines.
The reds that we will produce first will be Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chambourcin. The whites will be Vidal Blanc, Chardonnay, and Viognier.
However, you can expect to see both red AND white blends at some point. Eventually we might be asking for customer input and ideas on names for them. Stay tuned. More on that later…
So, finding and hiring a winemaker for the Harvest Ridge Winery team was a very important step in the whole process as we get closer to opening. As it turns out, winemakers are kind of important when you are looking to make wine. (Sure, you could wing it without one, but who knows what kind of wines you would get! No thank you.)
After a search that brought forth applicants from all over the world (and I mean ALL over the world), we found Milan Mladjan. Milan comes to us from Ontario, having worked most recently at Frogpond Farm Organic Winery. While there, Milan honed his skills developing terroir-driven wines based on organic and biodynamic principles.
Milan is passionate about history, so much so that he majored in History and Anthropology in college. After that, he went on to receive his degree in Wine and Viticulture studies from Niagara College with diplomas in Winemaking, Winery Marketing and Management, and Master Taster and Sommelier. He sees a bottle of wine as a time capsule, revealing the story of the vintage through geography and climate, as well as telling us a great deal about the individuals who made the wine, through the winemakers’ imprint on technique and profile. He believes the resulting style of a particular vintage is a direct reflection of current social trends and preferences. Both Milan’s parents came from families where viticulture and wine were an integral part of their everyday lives. He sees wine as a means by which he can connect with that long family history.
Milan is excited to relocate to Delaware, looks forward to living in the beautiful countryside, and is excited to be moving to a state that poised to become a major destination for tourism (wine and otherwise).
Milan will have an active hand in many aspects of the winery; expect to see him in the tasting room as well as winery-related events.
We are excited for what he brings to the team and are looking forward to working with him!
Our labels have been approved by the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau)! Wine labels have to follow very specific rules in order to be approved and make it to bottling. When one is new to the process, it is often a bit longer… as one doesn’t know all the rules. Here’s hoping that as we learn the ropes, the process in the future will be shorter and more streamlined! Below is a sample of what our labels will look like.
Interested in reading more about the TTB and their guidelines and regulations? (I am not being snarky. They have a very informative site.) Check out some FAQs here: http://www.ttb.gov/wine/wine-faq.shtml#w8
residents at the fair. It was a great chance to let people know what is going on with wines, spirits, etc. in our state! Governor Markell was also on hand and stopped by the DWA booth. You can read more about the day here and Governor Markell’s visit here: 
